Kite-flying is a pleasant and popular avocation, but it has its difficulties in control of the kite and kite-line.
A number of spools have been promoted for kite-flying. However, some are more suitable for fishing, and some are intended for universal application. The present spools have significant disadvantages.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,537,613 discloses a reel device particularly suitable for fishing. This particular device is intented for one-handed casting. At the very least it is difficult to one-hand cast a kite. Also there is no mechanical provision for play on the line as the braking means is an off/on arrangement which can snap a kite-line. Finally, the line is retained on a frustro-conical reel, a difficult configuration to maintain with 200-250 feet of kite-line.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,432 discloses a reel device particularly intended for kite-flying. A line-guide which is finger-controlled interferes with the rapid play out or taking in of line. This device has no braking mechanism, just a drag effect brought into play by the operator's axial movement of the line-guide. Also, the handle is clumsy, uncomfortable to hold and can pinch the kite-flyer's fingers between the central shaft and the spring mechanism for the line-guide.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,049 discloses a kite spool primarily intended for one-handed usage. The braking mechanism requires careful coordination of the reel and brake as a quick release of the brake can break the kite-line. Also, it is necessary to allow a fairly large contact area for the brake shoes on the outer edges of the spool itself. This permits the possibility of a hopeless snarl when the kite-line is being reeled in. Also the device has a large number of parts and is extremely complicated and expensive to manufacture.
There are a number of other devices which are uncomfortable to use, complicated mechanically, expensive and difficult to manufacture.
There is then a need for a kite-controller which is comfortable to operate with two hands, non-snarling, readily rotated for play of line, readily braked, has the minimum number of parts and is relatively inexpensive to make.